Ask an expert

good morning jack, i am interested in buying a 2002 vw polo. i have never owned a european car before and general consensus is that they are expensive to work on and parts are costly also. would you say this is accurate, say in comparison to the maintenance of the same year toyota corolla type vehicle for example. also is this 2002 model known for any particular faults or re-occurences with mechanical/electrical parts/features etc.
the engine is a 1.8l i am sure. i would be interested to know of their fuel economy also.
i look forward to hearing from you and appreciate your time.
regards
lynda porteous.,

The European cars do generally cost more to maintain compared to the Japanese built vehicles. The VW Polo is dynamically a better car though and we are not aware of any major problems on these vehicles. Not familiar with a 1.8L engine in the Polo body as normally they have 1.4L, 1,6L petrol motors. Without specific engine details the 1.4L/1.6L fuel economy is rated to be around 6.0L/100km (1.4L) to 7.4L/100km (1.6L). In some other markets a SEAT 1.8L was badged with the Polo Playa badge and the fuel economy is around 8.5L/100km in a combined cycle for these models.